Granite County Sheriff's Office Partners with Othram to Identify a Man found in the Welcome Creek Wilderness

David Jon Milek, found in the Welcome Creek Wilderness, is now identified after a decade
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Published September 01 by Michael Vogen
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Summary

In August 2014 a backpacker was hours into a hike through the Welcome Creek Wilderness, above Bidwell Gulch, when he came across human skeletal remains. The Granite County Sheriff was promptly notified and began an investigation. Investigators determined the remains most likely belonged to a white male, around age 30 to 45 and 6’ 0” at the time of his death. Granite County John Doe had hiking gear surrounding him where he was found. Included amongst his belongs were Dramamine tablets, dated between 2011-2013, Rocky Snake size 10/11 boots, a SOG sheath knife, and a CVS Pharmacy medication bottle. There were few other clues available. A search of dental records did not return a match. Likewise, an STR profile built from the skeletal remains did not return a match in CODIS. The case was entered into NamUs as UP13962.

In 2021, the Granite County Sheriff’s Office, assisted by the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office partnered with Othram, Inc. to help identify Granite County John Doe or his next of kin. Othram used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to build a genealogical profile of the unknown man. After returning investigative leads back to law enforcement, the Montana State Crime Lab conducted DNA testing of close family to confirm that Granite County John Doe's identity was in fact David Jon Milek. David was originally from Dallas, Texas. He was 32 years of age, when he was last seen in 2011 by his family.

Cause of death remains unclear and the investigation continues. Anyone with information that might aid the investigation is encouraged to contact the Granite County Sheriff’s Office at 406-859-3251. Please refer to case number 214CR0001677. This case was funded in part by DNASolves crowdfunding and a generous contribution by Audiochuck. We are grateful to Audiochuck and everyone else that helped fund the work necessary to reconnect David Milek back to family.

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Michael Vogen

Michael Vogen

Director of Case Management

2829 Technology Forest Blvd Suite 100, The Woodlands, Texas 77381
media@othram.com

Michael works with law enforcement agencies throughout the United States and Canada on “unsolvable“ cases that can benefit from advanced DNA testing methods. He helps these agencies use cutting edge DNA sequencing and new forensic techniques to develop investigative leads for their cases.

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About Othram Inc.

Othram is the world’s first private DNA laboratory built specifically to apply the power of modern parallel sequencing to forensic evidence. Othram’s scientists are experts at ... Read morerecovery, enrichment, and analysis of human DNA from trace quantities of degraded or contaminated materials. Founded in 2018, and located in The Woodlands, Texas, our team works with academic researchers, forensic scientists, medical examiners, and law enforcement agencies to achieve results when other approaches have failed. Follow Othram on Twitter @OthramTech or visit Othram.com to learn how we can help you with your case. With dnasolves.com anyone can make a difference and help solve the next cold case.